Europe/Timelines

The European heritage

Ancient Greece

- the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle and the concept of democracy as a system of government

The Roman Empire

- Pax Romana, the first Europe-wide legal system.

Christendom

- the Papacy as Rome's uneven successor as a Europe-wide influence, and the monasteries as a means of presering access to ancient Greek and ancient Roman culture.

The Enlightenment

- an intellectual movement that gave priority to the power of reason over the claims of authority (influenced by the writings of Denis Diderot, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and others.)

The formation of nation states

800: The creation of the Holy Roman Empire

- the Pope confers the title of Emperor on Charlemagne (Charles I, King of the Franks)

1648: Treaty of Westphalia

- created the Wesphalian System of European sovereign states[1].

1713: Treaty of Utrecht

- separates France from Spain; cedes the Spanish Netherlands to Austria; cedes Gibraltar and parts of Canada to Britain

~1750 The Industrial Revolution begins.

- the transition from a predominantly agricultural to a predominately industrial economy that started in Britain with the development of the steam engine.

1789: French Revolution

1806: Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and formation of the Federation of the Rhine.

1815: Congress of Vienna

- redefined the territorial map of Europe following the defeat of Napoleon; including the creation of the Confederation of Germany

1914-18 First World War

1917: October Revolution

- the seizure of power by Lenin's Bolshevics, from the provisional government that had been formed by the revolutionary uprising of of February 1917.

1918: The collapse of Austro-Hungary, and the proclamation of the separate republics of Austria and Hungary.

1919: Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920)

- concluded the treaties of Versailles (with Germany), St Germain (with Austria), Trianon (with Hungary), Neuilly (with Bulgaria), Sèvres and Lausanne (with Turkey).

1929-35: Great Depression

1939-45 Second World War

1945: Partition of Germany

1946: Paris Peace Conference (1946-1947)

- concluded peace treaties with Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Rumania and Italy.

The formation of a union of nation states

1949: Treaty of London

- created the Council of Europe

1957: Treaty of Rome

1973: Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe

1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall

1990: German reunification

1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union

1992: Treaty of Maastricht

1994: Opening of the Channel tunnel

1997: Treaty of Amsterdam

2008-10: Great Recession

2009: Treaty of Lisbon

2010: Eurozone crisis